LYRIC PIANO STUDIO
713-880-5315
GROUP PIANO LESSONS
What's Next?
It's important to remember that the desire for lessons must first come
from the child. The teacher and parents
can help fan the flame (or douse it!), but the child has to have the initial
desire. A person can be turned off
music forever by being pushed or forced into it. I know many adults who have experienced the negative consequences
of pushing. The best advice I have is
to follow your child's lead.
1)Differences between private and group lessons:
a)Cost
b)Parental Time Commitment- attend lessons and help practice
c)Practice- minimum 4 days/week
(average)
d)Instrument- need decent instrument,
capable of holding a tune
1)Piano- I will start a child on keyboard,
but a decent piano ($750-$1,200) is usually required after 1-2 years
2)Used Band instruments can often be found
for $100-$300
3)Guitars- student models go for $75-$200
4)Violin- children's sizes go for $250-$500
5)Harp- I can help you purchase a decent,
beginners harp for $300- additional $100 for setup
2)Instrument sources:
Band Instrument Exchange 523-4289
Used band instruments-Flute, Trumpet, Clarinet, Sax, etc.- also great repairs
Alcal Piano Company 864-0073 Used pianos- very honest and
good prices- also tuning and great repairs
Newspaper, Pawn Shops, Band Leaders (Middle
and High Schools, HSPVA)
3)Some of the possibilities:
Piano- excellent beginning instrument because you can
make music right away and the notes are laid out visually
Guitar- can also make music right away
Harp- another visual instrument which is very
accessible. Many harp teachers like to
see a few years of piano lessons
first
Choir- make sure that the director understands children's
needs and voices. Voice lessons usually
start at middle school level or
above
Accordion-
Wind (Band) Instruments
Simplest- Flute, Clarinet, Sax, Trumpet
Moderate (need longer arms for these two)-
Trombone, Tuba
Difficult (middle school-high school
recommended)- Oboe, Bassoon, French Horn
Percussion
String Instruments- I usually recommend
waiting until middle school to start these instruments due to the
difficulty of making a decent sound in the
beginning. It is often easier to learn
about music on a simpler instrument first.
4)How I would chose a teacher:
a)Motivation- Is there a lot of
external motivation- rewards, stickers, contests, bribes? A good teacher can fan
the flame and bring out the internal
motivation. Students need to find
their true desires and strengths.
External rewards confuse the issue.
I will rarely use external motivation to "jump start" a
student during a difficult practice time.
However, it is always short term, and the student always knows that the
goal is to get their internal engine fired up.
b)Music- Does the student choose their music? Is the teacher responsive to requests? One of the best internal
motivators is a desire to
play a piece you love. Teachers who force
students to play only classical music, or all the pieces in each book can douse
the desire quickly. Look for the
willingness to be flexible and responsive- to go the extra mile. Even advanced music may be accessible
if a
simple arrangement is used.
c)Expectations- Level
of commitment required- Some teachers are only interested in extremely serious
students.
Make sure that the teacher
is interested in working with your child at an appropriate level. For example, if the teacher expects 30
minutes of practice, 6 days a week, in the beginning, building to an hour in a
year- think about your child. Is this
reasonable for them? If not, you are
setting up a failure situation from the very beginning.
d)Recitals and
Competitions- Is the teacher offering opportunities, or are they
pushing students into
uncomfortable
situations. Many children enjoy
performing. However, some really don't
want to perform in front of strangers, or they don't want to feel judged by
strangers. Are the performing
opportunities comfortable and fun? Does
the child choose, and is their choice honored?
Is the focus of the lessons on getting ready for competitions? I believe that it is rarely advantageous
for children under middle school level to compete in individual music competition. Indeed, it is probably better to hold off
most students until High School. The
desire to enter a contest must come from the student, and they need to be
strong enough to deal with all possible outcomes.
e)Child Oriented- 95% of good teaching comes from understanding
and honoring the student. Many
excellent musicians make
lousy teachers because they are committed to music, not teaching. Of course, the teacher needs to have good
command of the instrument, but that is just the beginning of the requirements
for doing this job. Observe several
different lessons. Would your child
respond to this approach?
f)Technique- I teach technique from the music. I design all exercises from the music
itself. Boring exercises
definitely discourage
students and can kill interest.
Technique enables musicians to play the music they love. It can and should be fascinating and of
utmost interest. Look for creativity
and flexibility, as well as a sense of excitement.
g)Student creativity- Is composition and improvisation
encouraged and honored?
h)Parental Involvement-
Are parents welcome in the lesson. Is
the difficult role of the parent acknowledged
and supported? Parents walk a tight rope, trying to
support and encourage, without lapsing into nagging and force.
5)Is the relationship with the teacher
working?
Once you start lessons, it
is important to ask this question. I
would look at the following: Is the lesson time generally enjoyable? Is the student excited to go to the
lesson? Are they excited about their
music? How does the teacher respond if
they aren't? With reminders, and
support from you, does your child respond well to practice? Realize that most children need a lot of support, in the form of help
from you, in order to enjoy and profit from practice. Also, anyone can have bad weeks or even months. However, many months of low motivation often
indicate that it is time for a change.
It may be time to stop or to find another teacher. No teacher is right for everyone.
Teaching
Resources in our Community
I have assembled the following list of private
teachers from the recommendations of my current and former students.
Piano
Me! However, I always have a waiting list. The sooner you let me know of your interest,
the better!
Cheryl Lollar 713-864-7864
Vanesa Chase 713-869-9340
There is a good teacher that
some of my former students take from near West University- I am working on
getting
the number!
Guitar
Susan Jackson 957-8448
Accordion
Susan Jackson 957-8448
Percussion
Andrea Moore 699-9677
Harp
Ask me
Flute
Teressa Grawunder 864-0947
Also: Rice University- Shepherd School of Music
Graduate Students